


Cherry Trees

by Ascella_Star



Series: Parallel Worlds [7]
Category: Magic Knight Rayearth
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, But they come back, Everybody Dies, F/M, Hardangerfjord, Hirosaki Castle, Mount Yoshino, Sakura (Cherry Blossoms), Tokyo (City), Vancouver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-28 04:50:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5078452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ascella_Star/pseuds/Ascella_Star
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Wait for me… I am not sure when, but I swear, that I’ll come back to you somehow…”</p><p>question here is... how long will it take for them to fulfill their promise for a happy ending?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Yoshinoyama

Cherry blossoming season was just beginning. Little by little people began to gather outside to enjoy this pretty phenomenon that usually occurs between late March and early April each year, and because it was an excellent opportunity for people to be with their families and loved ones, you could easily spot small groups of friends, large families or even some couples; all in all, you could smell happiness in the air, along with some enthusiasm and cheeriness; there were little kids playing and trying to catch as much cherry flowers as they could, while their families share food under the shade of the cherry trees.

 

This beautiful setting is also part of the way to several Shinto Temples that are scattered along Mount Yoshino, temples that are also being visited by a large amount of people.

 

But, amid this joyful scenario, being practically overlooked, and clashing with everybody’s happy mood, a sad, listless redhead was walking towards the shadow of a specific cherry tree.

 

This particular picture of the sad redhead was somewhat normal for those who visited the area regularly; day by day, for the last four years the same girl walked towards the same tree, where she would sit down and wait for someone, just as she promised to her one true love. However, everyday once the sun sets, she would walk back home, with an air of depression and sadness in her soul, knowing he did not make it again, and questioning herself if the wait was really worth it… and then scolding herself, trying to convince herself that one of this days , he would finally return, he would finally come home…

 

Haruki then would remember how she met her love, how she first saw him under the same cherry tree where she now waits for him, how she first got lost in his beautiful indigo eyes… she remembered all of their shared smiles, their private jokes, all of their stories, their dreams, their shared illusions… and it were those memories the ones that kept giving her strength to endure… to keep waiting for him since that fateful day when he told her he had to join the war, that he wasn’t sure when he would be back, but to please wait for him, because then, they would fulfil all of their life dreams.

 

_ “Wait for me… I am not sure when, but I swear, that I’ll come back to you somehow…” _

 

Everything was going fine, and despite war news were worse with each passing day, she never once lost hope. He wrote her sometimes, when he could, but it was nice for her to have words on him.

 

Then one day, a letter arrived announcing his imminent return. “ _One of these days, if everything goes as planned; I’ll be back to you… I would really love to meet you under the shadow of our Cherry Tree.”_

**-** Reizo **…** \- was the single word that escaped her lips in a silent whisper… a whisper that was full of prayers to the gods, hoping they would give her news of his beloved… a whisper that begged to be heard by her love, wherever he was, to remind him that she was there, waiting for him, and that no matter what, she would still be waiting for him until he came back.

 

Little did she know, that her beloved Reizo was another unfortunate victim of the Sengoku Jidai…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first of 5 shots that take place around Cherry Trees, and yes, this is a little reincarnation fic, so names of the characters won’t necessarily be the same during these little stories.
> 
> (By the way I discovered that there is no such thing as “L” in Japanese, being the closest to it the letter “R” so almost all of Lantis names will be with “R” instead)


	2. Hirosaki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Meiji Restoration was all but a reality, and thanks to it, in a few years time, he would no longer have the need to carry a sword.

It was an apparently quiet night; a slight breeze was gently flowing making the cherry trees’ flowers dance in response.

 

The view was awesome, because adding to the flowers and the trees, there was the sight of the fortified city’s castle, and in front of it, the sight of the bridge that was being illuminated by the moonshine. In the middle of it all, there was something else; a black haired, indigo eyed gentleman, as still as a statue, who was looking intently at the bottom of the river. He was wearing a traditional haori and hakama and was also carrying with him, his precious Katana and Wakisashi.

 

However, as much as he was currently depicting a statue by how still he was standing, Ryuu clearly wasn’t one.

 

In fact, the only reason he was even there, was because he was waiting on certain lady from the local court. He fell in love with her at first sight, and ever since, he made everything in his power to get the attention of the beautiful red head. Hanami was a really nice girl, and a very intelligent one too, qualities that had gained her more than one suitor, even in between some minor lord of the country. However, with some patience and lots of efforts, he finally did it, and they have been seeing each other secretly in this place.

The usually spent a couple of hours together, walking around the Gardens and talking about everything and anything, and Turing one of those outings, not long ago, Ryuu finally found the courage to kiss his lady. He was planning o doing it again soon. Hopefully today.

 

But amongst his daydreams, there were also his plans for the future, plans that for obvious reasons also involved a certain Lady with bright brown eyes and hair of fire. The Meiji Restoration was all but a reality, and thanks to it, in a few years time, he would no longer have the need to carry a sword. It was just a matter of waiting for the appropriate time so all the life goals that he wanted to share with Hanami would come true.

 

However, said redhead was taking her sweet time to arrive today.

 

He was suddenly aware of the amount of time that had already passed. Hanami was never late, aside from when time to time she got distracted with some menial task, but she was never more than fifteen minutes late. Ryuu had been waiting for her for almost an hour.

 

This realization gave him a really bad feeling, something was definitely wrong here. It got worse when something inside him urged him to go to the palace.

 

He ran as fast as he could, faster and with precise movements, displaying an ability that wasn’t even seen in the battlefield; his breathing was slightly laboured and is heart was beating like crazy. The strange dreadful feeling wasn’t going away, instead, it was becoming more urgent, prompting him to arrive as soon and as fast as he could.

 

But when he finally got there, he really wished he hadn’t.

 

He hadn’t even put one foot inside the place when the view that greeted him made his heart to drop straight to the floor.

 

Each step he took was greeted with blood rivers and puddles, there were severed heads and limbs, several mutilated bodies that you could not know where one started and where another ended… they had been under siege, and it ended with the lives of all of the occupants of the castle, the bloodbath was so gruesome that even a hardened warrior like Ryuu found it nauseating.

 

A flash of red at his left caught his attention, making him turn around to look at it. Hanami was laying there in a corner, barely breathing and covering a wound in her stomach that he knew to be fatal.

 

He ran to her side, holding her close relishing on feeling her while she looked intently at him and whispering "I love you…"

 

He would have liked to answer her, tell her that he loved her too… sadly at the same time she gave her last breath, an unknown sword pierced his heart, killing him on the spot.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second shot... next one could take a little longer to be up (it is bigger)


	3. Hardangerfjord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A family vacation just before the Great War was in order, so leaving behind Oslo, the Solbergs decide to visit this beautiful Fjord.

The cold wind from the northern Glaciers was blowing in her face, mussing slightly her long hair. She could easily breathe the peace of the air, and when she looked around, seeing so much beauty, she could only feel how smaller she actually was, in this beautiful world.

 

Watching the snowy mountains and their reflection in the vast watery mass unfolding in front of her, which was making an amazing contrast with the blue sky and the slight green that was starting to appear near the water, Hilde was showing the biggest smile she had ever worn. She has agreed to come to this small paradise on vacation with her family, and so far she hadn’t regretted it.

 

She came from a family that thrive themselves in the trade; their situation hadn’t been the best, what with war advances and the loss of Germany as a potential buyer of foodstuff, they could only relay on the business made with the British, leaving their economy certainly diminished, to the point of having to cut many expenses that once could have been deemed essential.

 

This little trip was going to be one of those, if not for the fact that the entire family agreed they needed a break.

 

She was walking completely lost in thought, and without really caring where her steps led her, Hilde found herself in the middle of the Fjord’s Forest. Obviously, she panicked, because she did not know where exactly she was, how did she had gotten there, nor how in the name of god will she return to her family. She tried to go back in her steps, but after half an hour of just seeing trees and foliage surrounding her, she acknowledged that she was completely and utterly lost.

At first she thought she may shout really loud in hopes that someone would hear her, but she quickly dismissed that idea. There was no way that someone would really hear her, this deep in the forest.

 

Suddenly, she heard something that sounded suspiciously like footsteps. Several scenarios were quick to be drawn in her mind, ranging from a prince charming, a knight in shining armour coming to her rescue, to a pack of wild animals that would chase her around before making her their diner.

 

Maybe she should stop reading so many fantasy novels…

 

And then she saw him. Standing besides one of the rare cherry trees that she had seen in the forest, was a boy about her age, with a really dark hair and violet eyes that contrasted dramatically with his pale skin… a boy that was looking at her with curious eyes.

 

Hilde’s first reaction, as expected, was to let out a scream loud enough that her spectator winced while he covered his ears. Once the shock had passed, and when her common sense returned to her, she brightened with the knowledge that maybe this person could help her to return home.

 

She slowly approached him with a tiny smile on her face; he was still looking at her with those curious violet eyes. She finally greeted him; she introduced herself and then explained her dire situation. He continued to watch her intently and with the same curiosity, looking how her eyes shone differently depending on what she was telling at the time.

 

In general, Reidar wasn’t a very patient man, and he wasn’t exactly fond of unnecessary company, however this tiny redhead had something that just invited her to really hear her out, to really listen and pay attention to whatever she was saying. It was clear to him that she was really nervous, because every time she tried to ask for help, she ended telling him how worried her family surely was, or how her friends would miss her and so on an so forth… and to be honest he wasn’t sure he really needed that much details. Then again he simply let her be.

 

"I would be glad to walk you back to the tourist area, however we will have to wait until tomorrow, the sun is about to set, and it is really dangerous to walk in the forest at night."

That was not what Hilde was hoping to hear, but seeing that in fact the sun was hovering in the horizon, she caved. She then wondered where she would spend the night; the thought of spending it out here terrified her. Her anguish must have been reflected in her face, because not sooner than she thought it, Reidar answered the unspoken question, inviting her to his humble abode…

 

Which was anything but humble; certainly, it was a small cabin in the middle of the forest, however inside it was as nice as her home in Oslo.

 

Hilde found out then, that Reidar lived with his older brother Sven, who seeing his usually serious brother with a cute redhead, just raised an eyebrow at him in doubt and complicity, telling her then to feel free to stay and leaving them alone in the kitchen.

 

They spent the night talking about them; for some strange reason, they felt a strange trust and confidence with each other, as if this wasn’t the first time they met. She told him about her brothers, about the family business, and about her friends; in turn, he told her about his life in the fjord, how and when they arrived there, what he did for a living and about his plans for the future…

 

It wasn’t until a surprised Sven found them in the exact same spot he left them the previous night that, they noticed how the time passed. Reluctantly, Reidar then proceeded to guide her to the touristic zone.

 

Said place was a complete chaos. There were people running everywhere, policemen interrogating people, an aquatic rescue team was preparing to leave at any time, while a terrestrial team was beginning to advance to the forest… the very same from where a surprised redhead and an annoyed man were emerging.

 

That is, until Mikel saw his little sister besides an unknown guy.

 

If it was a mess before, now this was pandemonium. In the span of two minutes, Hide and Reidar were separated from one another by more than two hundred meters, with three older brothers hovering above her, checking her for injuries and making sure that the stranger hadn’t done any kind of unspeakable things to their innocent baby sister. Meanwhile, Reidar was surrounded by about fifteen police officers, five attack dogs, the terrestrial and aquatic teams, and a pair of news reporters wanting an exclusive interview with the alleged kidnaper of the youngest Solberg sibling.

 

They were about to get Reidar arrested when a frightened Hilde raised her voice asking "what is going on here? And, where do you think you are going with my friend?"

 

And then, silence. Suddenly the redhead became the attention focus of the entire crowd. There were disbelieving whispers at her having called her alleged kidnapper a friend; some even suggesting a kind of Stockholm syndrome, it wasn’t until one of the police officers approached her asking for an explanation when with an embarrassed and confused smile, Hilde explained what happened to her and the circumstances leading to her disappearance, and the subsequent help from the other boy.

 

Incredulity quickly gave way to annoyance. All those rescue forces wasted because of a lost girl who is better at daydreaming than paying attention to her surroundings.

 

With a forced smile, then they proceeded to offer an apology to the young man, freeing him immediately, only to be now confronted with three brunettes who, more by force than by will, offered him an apology and their eternal gratitude for taking care of their baby sister. Reidar brushed it aside as if it was nothing.

 

The little redhead however, not being entirely satisfied with this, invited him to eat lunch with them, and then to spend the rest of the day with them. Obviously, he couldn’t say no.

 

Their little outings were repeated for the next seven days, in which they agreed to meet somewhere to spend time together.

 

Sadly, her holidays were over soon. Too soon for their taste, so with heavy hearts they promised to write regularly and to keep in touch. They hoped they could meet again sometime.

 

With this in mind, they said their goodbyes with a really tight hug, but when Reidar saw Hilde’s figure going away, something made him go after her. When he finally reached her, he looked into her eyes before telling her "I could not let you go yet…"

 

And then, he kissed her briefly… tenderly, only to run in the opposite direction, leaving behind a surprised Hilde, who was lost in a haze of disbelief, happiness and illusions… a haze that was broken by her siblings who then appeared and had almost drag her to their carriage; they had to take the train back home.

 

They kept their promise, sending each other letters back and forth. Sadly some of them were lost in the after war. Some years later, when she came back to Hardangerfjord, the first thing she did was to go looking for Reidar; but she only found an old and empty cabin that by it’s looks haven’t been used in a very long time. When she asked about them to the other people in the fjord, they told her that rumours said that the brothers left in search of a girl that was friends and pen pal with the younger one, and that they haven’t heard from them ever since.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!
> 
> But here it is the third part of this mini series.  
> Hardangerfjord is in Norway and if you look at the pictures of the place that are all over the web, you’ll find it really breathtaking. (I hope to one day visit)
> 
> Next chapter is a direct continuation of this one, and is one of my favourites.
> 
> I would love to read your thoughts and comments.
> 
> See you soon!


	4. Vancouver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fortuitous encounter in a garden filled with cherry trees at the University of British Columbia.

It was March again. He couldn’t relieve that it had already been a year since first starting at the University of British Columbia, and, even if he didn’t regret his decision, he never thought that pursuing an arts degree would be this stressing and demanding.

Today had been an especially hard day. Three of his teachers chose this exact date for final project submissions, which resulted in several sleepless nights and having to run from one side of the campus to another just to be able to deliver every single one of them. Thankfully it was finally over, but Ryan couldn’t help himself remembering how two of his teachers smiled in satisfaction at seeing his final paintings, and the gleam in the eyes of the third promising a long and thorough review for his renaissance arts essay.

And spring was finally here too! It was his favourite season of the year, especially since he had always been somewhat attracted to the sights of the cherry blossoms, to the point that it greatly influenced his choice of college… he simply loved to walk around campus, feeling the breeze in his face, and being able to smell the cherry scented air.

Sometimes, during his walks, he could even close his eyes and let his imagination fly. It always brought him to fabulous places that he could only read about in the library, intriguing and fascinating places that for some reason always filled him with a terrible and unexplainable longing.

_Don’t you feel like there’s something missing in your life?_

Yes. More than once, he dad felt a certain emptiness in the depths of his being, a strange feeling that had been there for as long as he could remember; more than once he associated it with the fact that he was an orphaned child. Don’t take him wrong, he loved his siblings, and was really proud of all the hard work Alice and Stephen had done, but in the end nothing compares to the warmth and care of real parents.

He tried to fill that void several times without success. He tried with alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, or women… but nothing really helped. It got worse when he got diagnosed with a rare illness, and his normal depression reached a new level of low.

The only good thing that came with it was the discovery of his one true passion: Art.

Art, and especially painting helped him to express everything that was inside him, his sadness and despair, his anger, his uncertainty… even his strange feelings of longing. The latter feeling was the one that ultimately lead him to create his better works, and also the strangest ones.

 

* * *

 

A gentle breeze was what pulled her out from her musings, but she couldn’t help to be lost in thought… the cherry scented air always managed to carry her to a time that felt like another life altogether. And perhaps it was. It had been thirty years and two great wars since then, and even if she moved on with her life, up until today she couldn’t forget that black haired, violet eyed boy who stole her heart.

After their initial meeting and when she lost contact with him, she desperately tried to find him for several years. It even got to the point in which her brothers told her to abandon the search and to simply forget about him, just as he surely did already. She refused to do it every time.

Until one day, she found him… or more like she found them.

She stumbled on a possible lead as to their whereabouts; she found some relatives of sorts that apparently could tell her where her friends were.

It was a sad fact, that when she met them, and asked them of their current location, they simply led her to the local cemetery. There she found identical headstones for each of the brothers. They told her later that they were victims of an ambush in the carriage they were travelling in.

To say that Hilde sank into a severe depression is an understatement. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t laugh… she lost weight at an alarming rate and her bright pretty eyes were always dull and full of despair.  Her brothers got really concerned about her wellbeing, and they really panicked when her body finally broke down and she ended up in the hospital.

It was after a really long time and with lots of love and care that she slowly got herself on her feet again. She decided to live her life just like she was sure Reidar would have liked her to. Some years later she even married a handsome Swiss Doctor named Ernest.

It was a real shame that Ernest died at the front lines during World War II.

And when the war finally ended, and communications between continents were restored and deemed secure, Hilde decided to start over in a new place. Said place was Vancouver.

Canada was a lovely place, a little bit cold but pretty nonetheless. She really enjoyed the atmosphere, people’s friendliness and she even got to practice her rusty French but above everything else, from time to time, this place reminded her of that first and unforgettable love.

This was one of those days, when she couldn’t stop thinking him. She was slowly walking around the university, enjoying the sights and smells that the cherry blossoms offered.

She suddenly saw him.

It was a boy not older than 20 who was lazily walking some steps ahead of her. He was tall, his hair was black and slightly toned… or at east that was what his clothes implied.

 **"** Reidar **…"** she quietly whispered.

She was sure it was him! But… that was impossible! He was dead, she even saw his and his brother’s headstones… it was simply impossible. She took a deep breath trying to compose herself. She knew that it simply couldn’t be, because if that boy was her lost love, he would be as old as her, and He would have aged just like she did… so, who was he? Maybe he was a ghost? A figment of her imagination? A lost son? Or perhaps a distant relative?

There were too many questions… and she intended to find the answers.

She tried to walk a little faster in hopes of catching up with him, but a sudden gust of wind made her close her eyes and by the time she was able to open them again, the boy was gone. She tried to look for him nearby, but she completely lost track of him. When she was about to give up, she found a pamphlet announcing an artistic exposition that was going to take place near the university in three days. She didn’t know what prompted to do it, but she decided to go.

 

* * *

 

Under normal circumstances, this kind of events weren’t organized around campus, especially with works from all courses and specialities; this privilege was usually reserved for students in their last year of their Visual arts degree; however, since this one was an independent exposition which only purpose was exposure of the upcoming artists, it was allowed to be held in the cherry trees garden besides campus.

Mounting said exposition wasn’t an easy job, each artist aimed for what they thought was the best spot to show their art so that the public could appreciate it better and hopefully, would buy a piece or two.

Most of said students were counting on this to survive this last semester.

All along the garden you could see all kinds of things, from paintings to sculptures, each of them inspired in as much movements as you can imagine… vanguards, classics, baroques, impressionism, landscapes, art deco… you name it, you find it. And with this much variety in the art, you could also find as much from the people that came to appreciate it. You could see moms, and dads, children, young people, couples…

In the middle of all this, a certain short, white haired woman was walking peacefully. She was admiring everything in view and simply enjoying the peaceful atmosphere created with the cherry trees in the background; from time to time, said lady stopped to watch closely at certain pieces of art, but none really retained her attention for long; after a few seconds, she usually continued on her way.

Suddenly, she felt herself got numb.

Before her, there was one of the most beautiful oil paintings she had ever seen… it was perfect technique wise and it almost made her feel like she was actually inside it, as if it was a window to that world, and if not for the strokes you could feel while touching it, you may confuse it with a really good photography.

However that was not what caught her attention.

The painting was an almost exact replica of the tourist lookout in Hardangerfjord. The same blue of the sea and the green of the trees or the way the clouds seemed to drift apart in the windy parts of the fjord… all in all, it was exactly how she remembered from all those years ago.

She felt her eyes water at the sight, and in that moment she knew she had to buy that painting, no matter what.

She asked around for the author of said painting and while someone went to fetch him, she decided to look at the rest of his works, in hopes of finding something more to buy.

The rest of his works were equally astounding. Aside from the one she already decided to buy, she found another two landscapes that were as breathtaking as the chosen one and just as that one; this two filled her with an overwhelming sense of longing. Below each one, there were two name tags, one for Hirosaki and one Mount Yoshino respectively. The longer she watched them, the more she couldn’t tear her eyes from them.

She then found a set of paintings belonging to a series. There were four people depicted in them, one in each painting and whose faces were covered because of a play of lights and shadows. There were two women, a red head and a blonde, both with long flowing hair and in similar long dresses. Beside each girl, there were two men, both clad in strange black armour, one of them with long lack hair.

The set was named “the Pillars”

A hand in her shoulder finally snapped her out of her thoughts; she was so lost in thought while admiring those paintings that she didn’t even hear when someone approached her. When she turned her gaze to see who was demanding her attention, she found herself completely speechless with what she saw.

“A friend told me that you were interested in my paintings; please tell me, how can I be of service?”

The he was, the same boy from the previous day, the one she thought was Reidar’s long lost twin.

“Ah! But where are my manners! My name is Ryan McAllister; I’m the one who painted all of these."

On a closer look, she could see that, while his eyes were indeed violet, this boy’s had a different shade of colour, making them look almost dark blue, the shape of his eyes was also different and even if his hair was dark too, under the sunlight his looked brownish.

She smiled and said – “Hilde Solberg, nice to meet you”

* * *

 

There was something wrong with him of that, he was sure. He had never seen this woman in his life, but something deep inside him told him that she was special, even more, that she was really important to him. He contemplated the possibility of her being a really distant relative or a family friend… maybe she once was a neighbour and he simply didn’t remember her. He didn’t know, but somehow he felt as if an invisible force pulled him towards her.

They exchanged pleasantries before he gave her a full explanation of some of his works. She asked him what inspired him to paint some of them and in the case of the landscapes, if he had ever been there.

Surprisingly, she learnt that he had never been there. Ryan told her that most of those places were images that constantly played themselves in his mind since he could remember. It happened so often that one day he simply decided to put them down in a painting.

He told her that he also felt that strange feeling of longing whenever he saw them, being in his mind or in a canvas, and that some of them came from what he had always thought was a hole in his soul.

They talked for a little while longer, until she finally decided to buy the three landscapes that  she had originally intended. She then made him promise her that he would call her whenever he had a new painting so she could see it and, if she liked it, buy it before anyone else could.

This little business relationship quickly morphed into a real friendship that lasted for several months more, until one fateful night her relatives informed him of her demise.

Ryan only reaction at the news was a sad smile, while quietly murmuring that in the end, she was gone before him again.

Eight months later, Ryan’s last work was finally finished. It’s title “Cherry trees”. In it you could easily find four redhead ladies with lots of cherry trees in the background; all ladies seemingly the same, but under closer inspection, you could find the differences between them. Two of them were clearly Japanese, there was one with traditional Norse clothes and one with what could be described as medieval. How ever all of them shared the same two traits… a small smile, and a look of longing in their eyes.

There was a fifth girl in the background, but she was almost hidden behind some trees and was a little harder to appreciate. However that one also shared the same physical resemblance with the other ones.

This really was Ryan’s last work. Some days later, crying in front of a hospital bed, Stephen and Alice, were saying their last goodbye to their little brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a new Chapter! Yeeei!
> 
> I won’t promise anything, but if everything goes right, I may be able to upload the final chapter in time for spring.(it is a long, really long one, so be patient please)
> 
> Well I hope you liked this one.
> 
> (Fun fact: if you compare the English and Spanish version of this, they are not exactly the same… this one has a few extra details )
> 
> See you later!


	5. Tokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small cherry blossom landed on her forehead, and with it, a long forgotten sentence came forth from the depths of her mind: “I would love to meet you under the shadow of our Cherry Tree…”

 

If you were to ask anyone that had ever known her for even a small time, they would be able to tell you that the Shinjuku Gyoen National Park was her favourite place in the whole country. There was something in the perfect mix between eastern and western gardens that have always given her a great source of inspiration, and even making her experience a vast range of feelings that went from happiness, nostalgia, sadness to the most exhilarating joy; and to be completely honest, Hikaru could easily spend whole days strolling down the park, never getting tired of it.

Her first memories of said park were from when she was a little girl; her older brothers used to bring her there, just to walk, or to play, or simply to watch the seasons go by; sometimes they went there to play with the leaves the Fall left behind or to refresh themselves a little during the hot days of summer. However, what she had always enjoyed the most were the family trips they organized during the spring. She had always thought that there was something magical in being able to watch the cherry blossoms while in the company of her loved ones.

Nowadays, it was getting a bit harder for her to have her brothers coming to the family outings, though that did not mean that she stopped going back to the park every spring. There was something about the place that made her want to return to it every year. She had always managed to find a way back there, sometimes with her school friends, her brothers when available or with her dog; for some strange reason, that strange pull almost always made her go to the exact same point every year, and as such she tended to spend a lot of time sitting below a rather big tree, facing the Japanese and Western styled Gardens that were on the other side of a bridge nearby.

Somehow, that exact place made her feel at peace. As if she was supposed to be there.

This spring was no exception, as she just as every other spring, felt the strange urge to go to her special spot on the park. What was surprising though, was the fact that she managed to organize all of her loved ones onto attending and helping with the picnic. Her brother Kakeru was in charge of finding a nice place where they could eat their food; Satoru was in charge of bringing the beverages; Umi and Masaru were in charge of the food. Fuu promised to bring an extra box of Kuu’s favourite chocolates… those that she usually hid and that only shares with Satoru.

Time passed rather quickly and before Hikaru noticed it, the time for the picnic was finally there. She had been burning time until the appointed time arrived, and even then, she was already inside the park, sitting as usual, in her preferred spot so she decided she could take a couple of minutes more to herself.

Just as every other year, she had felt the strange pull guide her to that spot; however, this year the pull felt different somehow; instead of making her feel like she was meant to be there, it made her feel as if she was only supposed to wait for something important to happen, and that she should not miss it. So she waited… waited as long as she could until she had no other option but to leave. Sighing loudly, she proceeded to put the leash back on Hikari and started to leave their spot; they had a picnic to attend.

She was in the middle of the bridge when something ahead of her caught her attention. The moment her eyes focused on what was before her, she managed to get a glimpse of a tall, black haired young man that was heading towards the place she was just leaving. For a fleeting moment her eyes locked themselves with his, and for just a moment she felt as if time had suddenly stopped, marking everything that was not this encounter as unimportant.

Her lips parted slightly in surprise, whispering a breathy name that Hikaru was not sure where it came from …

_“Ryuu…”_

 

* * *

 

The day’s festivities had already begun, and with them all kinds of people were gathering around in hopes of enjoying them fully; you could easily turn your head in any direction and you would be able to find families, groups of friends, students, still in their school’s uniform small children and couples getting ready for their picnics.

In the middle of all this, the lone figure of a young man with black hair and violet eyes, clad in dark jeans and a turtleneck contrasted with everything around; he was sitting quietly under one of the trees, lost in his thoughts and completely oblivious of his surroundings.

This young man was there also to enjoy the festivities, and even if his demeanour said otherwise, these kind of dates were his favourites since they were one of the few times when his small family could get together and enjoy each other’s company.

In fact, this man was supposed to meet his family on the other side of the garden, but since it was still a bit early for him to be there, he decided that he wanted to relish in a few more minutes of solitude. Don’t get him wrong, he loved his family to pieces, but sometimes his brother in law’s jokes could be grating on his nerves.

Adding to that, he knew that Primera, a girl from his school, managed to discover where his family was meeting for the Cherry Tree Blossom picnic and loudly declared that she was going to be there, where she could be near her “dear Lantis”. He knew she was a good girl, but her attitudes annoyed him to no end.

He really appreciated his sister in law’s effort to plan these outings, so he needed to gather his strength so he would not ruin it accidentally with his sour mood.

While he waited, he remembered how he discovered this place not too long ago. He and his family had just moved to Tokyo after a lifetime of living in Hokkaido and autumn was already in full swing. He was still not completely comfortable with living in a big city so he was looking for places that could make him feel more at ease; he stumbled into the park one day during his morning jog and, deciding to indulge his curiosity, he decided to go inside. Since then, he used every excuse available to go back and enjoy the park.

Some time later, when Emeraude told him that she was looking for a nice place to have their Cherry Tree Celebration Picnic, he eagerly suggested his, by now, favourite place in the entire city.

A small vibration on his pocket brought him back to the present, announcing him that it was time for him to head to their reunion point. Glancing at his wristwatch he briefly considered if he could have a couple of minutes more to himself, before deciding against it and head over there already before a “certain someone” decided that he was unusually late and that she should look for him and make sure he was ok.

Then again, he did not really want to rush his arrival, so after looking at his Mobile phone to see if he had any unread messages, he set himself to enjoy the scenery the place had to offer while he leisurely walked towards his destiny. The sweet scent of the trees made him close his eyes for a moment in delight; however, when he opened them again, he was met with a pair of beautiful maroon eyes staring back at him from the middle of the bridge.

He felt like this moment was an important one somehow, but even though he felt like he should stop and appreciate it, he couldn’t stop to do it, seeing as he was already late. His mind and lips however conjured a seemingly unknown name that left his lips in the form of a whisper.

_“Hanami…”_

 

* * *

 

Lantis was behaving with more seriousness than was normal for him; he appeared unfazed by Ferio’s lame jokes and even Primera’s attempts at getting his attention were even more fruitless and useless than never.

For the casual observer, it could be seen as if he was feeling annoyed, that his patience was shorter than usual and that he was barely holding his irritation back while presenting a cool and detached façade.

However, his brother Zagato knew him better than almost anyone else. He was able to notice how his little brother’s gaze seemed to be lost in the distance and that it was not displaying the annoyance, discomfort or irritation that his body language was transmitting; in fact, Zagato could surmise that he was merely curious about something and distracted by it, as if he was analysing something that was far away but that had completely caught his attention.

It was a look that Zagato had not witnessed in really long time, and if he was honest with himself, it made him extremely curious about its sudden appearance too.

Then again, Zagato knew that his brother would not share with him whatever was occupying his thoughts until he felt that the time was right, and until he felt like sharing it with others. He also knew that Lantis was not prone to share something personal if he was not comfortable with the people surrounding him.

He decided to leave him alone for the time being, there would be a time for them to talk as much as they wanted. For now, he would content himself with the delicious desserts his wife prepared for their celebration and the really pretty landscape that the Cherry trees provided.

 

* * *

 

Hikaru was intrigued. The black haired guy she encountered earlier stirred something strange inside her; his mere memory made her feel as if she had already met him before, although she knew that that was not the case. She even considered that maybe she saw him on a magazine once or on some kind of advertisement; he was handsome enough to be able to pull it off.

She kept walking, but at a more sedated pace, allowing her thoughts to run wild while she distractedly continued her way. It wasn’t until her favourite song shook her out of her reverie that she noticed that a lot more time than what she initially thought had passed already. A quick glance at her mobile phone revealed that it was Umi calling. And if Umi was already calling her, it only meant one thing… “Oh my God, I am so late!!”

She picked her pace up, trying to get as fast as possible to the place where her family and friends were supposed to get together. All thoughts of the mysterious man got pushed to the back of her mind to deal with them later.

That night, just before surrendering to her exhaustion, the image of the mysterious guy came back to her. An image that got itself imprinted on the forefront of her mind and that was the main focus of that night’s dreams.

 

* * *

 

The days passed by, and before anybody noticed it, summer was around the corner. The weather was becoming increasingly hot and humid and in some days it was so unbearable that people actually avoided going out of their houses unless it was absolutely necessary.

Then again, not everybody was meant to be confined to closed quarters; there are those who, even thought the weather was horrible, were adventurous enough to go out and seek some place that was both fresh and outdoors. As such, pools, cafeterias, or ice cream parlours were the most popular spots among this part of the population.

There were some others that were daring enough to venture out to some of the public parks of the city.

Hikaru was among the ranks of these daring people; she really tried to stay home for the most part, but after some time of feeling caged, she decided to grab her dog and take a stroll through her favourite place: the Shinjuku Gyoen National Park.

Walking around the park was always refreshing, and this helped immensely to soothe Hikaru and her dog because, had they stayed a moment longer inside her Family Dojo, they would surely have gone insane.

They walked aimlessly, just admiring the by now familiar sights of the park; they walked around the small lakes and the bigger Japanese Traditional Gardens. They walked through the Cherry trees area and even passed by the French Formal Garden.

When they were heading towards the English Landscape Garden, Hikaru experienced a strange sense of Dejavu. She knew that she had walked this path countless times, but just now she felt like she was walking them for the first time. Her mind conjured the image of a rather deserted forest instead of the familiar garden, and the more she walked, the more she felt like she really should know where the imaginary forest was.

And then, the strange pull she sometimes felt while in the park manifested itself, making her look to her left where a rather unexpected sight greeted her. There she found a young man about the same age as her, with black hair and clear eyes that were watching her with curiosity.

A strong gust of air and dirt made them break eye contact while trying to cover themselves from it. A few moments later, when Hikaru was able to uncover her eyes, she noticed that the strange guy was gone, and that for some reason this made her feel kind of sad and nostalgic with an undercurrent of joy and curiosity. 

This made no sense to her, though the moment she turned around to leave too, another strange name left her lips breathlessly.

_“Reidar…”_

A few minutes later she realized that this mystery guy was the same one she encountered months ago in the middle of a bridge.

 

* * *

 

When Lantis first heard the phrase “Karma is a bitch” he never imagined that he would experience it first hand, or that he would curse the day he made fun of his brother’s misfortune.

Not too many years ago, Lantis used to laugh uncontrollably every time his brother got chased by a girl called Alcyone; he used to mock him every time he had the opportunity and went as far as make really silly and annoying jokes at his expense.

And now… now it was _him_ who was in that same situation.

He met Primera by sheer coincidence, on a completely normal day at school. It was the end of his first week of his last year of high school; he was still adjusting to being the new, recently transferred kid from another school in Sapporo and was still unsure of where was everything on the school grounds. He was about to be late for his try out for the Kendo school team and as such he knew he needed help to get there on time.

He made the mistake to ask a girl that was just leaving the library for directions and up until now a year later, he still regrets that course of action.  Said girl decided on the spot that he was to be hers and started to follow him everywhere, going as far as appearing out of nowhere whenever he was out with his friends.

And then… then there was her “support” during competitions. One day she showed up with a huge banner with his name while shouting incredibly loud that “her dear Lantis” was the best of all and that nobody was a real challenge to him.

At first it was really unexpected but kind of funny. When the girl’s behaviour and attitudes started to shun away his friends, he felt… irritated. The moment he found her in his house, trying to convince his brother that they were engaged and were deeply in love, he nearly lost his mind.

He still can’t remember how he managed to do it, but Zagato calmed him down enough that he did not do something incredibly stupid.

Which is what brings him to his current predicament: to somehow find a suitable place to hide from said girl and her antics. He was trying his luck at hiding inside his favourite garden, thinking that perhaps he could lose her there.

He was running and looking for a good hiding place when his eyes were suddenly drawn to the sight of a girl a bit younger than him with fiery red hair that was happily walking a really big dog. Said girl was obviously lost in her own world and did not notice his presence until he was closer to her. However, the moment she did, and when her eyes landed on his, his heart skipped a beat before restarting with an increased pace. Another Foreign name, _-Hilde-_ was the only thing that his mind could come up with.

 He watched her with mild curiosity, until a strong gust of air and dirt made him look away, suddenly noticing that his pursuer was closer than he imagined. 

Silently cursing, he decided to start moving again before Primera managed to find him and latch onto him.

A few minutes later, once he was finally alone, he made the connection between the girl he saw earlier and the one he saw the day of the picnic, concluding that they were one and the same.

“It seems, I need to visit the park more frequently than before…”

 

* * *

 

Several days later found Lantis again inside the park. The pretty redhead had really intrigued him and since he had only seen her inside the park, he figured he would come back as much as he could. He included the park into his jogging route, invented a late evening stroll some days of the week and he would have tried to go back there at night if not because the park was actually closed after 7:00.

And then, one day during the summer, his efforts got the desired results. He finally found her… or rather, she “found” him instead.

 Several years later, Lantis was still unable to tell what exactly happened when he finally encountered his redhead. He remembers that he was looking at his mobile phone, trying to check the hour, and on the next moment, he was laying flat on the floor, looking at the sky and with a petite redhead atop him.

He tried to get his bearings as quick as possible, making a mental check up for any injuries that may be resulting from the fall. Once he was satisfied with it, he turned his attention to the girl that was still laying on his chest.

“Excuse me, are you alright…?”

He hadn’t even got the chance to finish his question before he was confronted with the most beautiful garnet eyes he had ever seen in his life.

 

* * *

 

The moment Hikaru was able to process that she just collided with someone in the middle of the park, she heard said person ask if she was alright, she glanced up from where she landed to where the voice was coming from, only to find the violet orbs of the guy she had been thinking of. When their eyes met, her world stopped for a moment. Whatever she was thinking prior to this encounter got vanished from her mind, only leaving behind the knowledge of just how pretty and expressive his eyes were.

Of course, her world started to move again, and with it, the awareness of where exactly she landed… and the exact position she still was in.

She tried to move from above him, only to fail miserably each time she tried to stand up on her own. It wasn’t until she heard the boy laugh underneath her that she stopped squirming. With her ceasing in her squirming, he was able to incorporate himself and finally help her stand up.

 

* * *

 

Lantis could not believe his luck. Just the girl he had been chasing for days on end appeared in front of him. Maybe she did not appear in the most conventional way, but he was definitely not complaining. Hikaru started to offer all sorts of apologies for being distracted, and for eventually colliding into her unsuspecting victim. Lantis brushed all the apologies aside, telling her it was not a big deal.

He then proceeded to introduce himself, and asking her for her name. Then, without missing a beat, he asked her out to go for ice creams as a compensation for their earlier collision.

Outwardly, a reddened Hikaru accepted the invitation with a shy smile. Inwardly she was making a happy dance.

They spent the evening between laughs and stories, talking about everything and anything, getting to know each other better and finally satiating the mutual curiosity they sparked in the other several months ago.

It was then that Lantis noticed how Hikaru’s Eyes lighted themselves according to what she was talking about. He noticed how sometimes her eyes got so bright that they resembled the coals of a fire whenever she was talking about her family or her pet or how they dimmed significantly whenever she complained about technology. He thought this was fascinating… and couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

What almost completely undid him was when she told him that she also practiced Kendo on her spare time, and that she had already won several regional tournaments in the name of her Family Dojo. This actually made him wonder just why he had not run into her sooner. It would have been amazing.

All this information paled in comparison however with the beautiful pink shade that seemed to be perpetually engraved in Hikaru’s face, a shade that seemed to deepen slightly every time he told her a compliment.

On the other hand, Hikaru was utterly enamoured with Lantis’ deep voice. If you were to ask her, she would gladly tell you that she was willing to spend the remaining of her life just hearing that magnificent voice. But it was not only his voice what captivated her, it was the inflexions of his voice during certain topics or how you could easily tell if whatever he was recounting was a happy or sad memory just by the way his voice changed.

And how all those changes were prettily reflected on his violet eyes.

As their ice creams got finished, so was their excuse to keep talking, so with more than a bit reluctance, they said their good byes, but not without promising to see each other again soon.

 

* * *

 

Just as they promised, they met again on several occasions; they met at the park, with the excuse of another ice cream, they went for long walks inside the park, visiting and revisiting the English Landscape Garden or the green house. Soon, their little outings took them outside the Park, to museums and coffee shops that they thought the other might find interesting.

It was during a visit to the aquarium at Tokyo Tower that a startling realization hit Hikaru. They were watching some of the fish tanks that were prettily illuminated with bright neon lights when her attention got pulled towards her companion. Hikaru was mesmerized by the way the lights were being reflected in Lantis’ eyes, making them look like strands of lightning dancing on his violet irises. The sight made Hikaru think just how beautiful her friend was… and just how much she actually thought of him in general.

It was then that Hikaru thought that maybe she did not want to be just her friend anymore.

Lantis did not have it any easier. Even though he already knew that Hikaru was really dear to him, he, being the private person that he had always been, did not make a lot of fuss. However, he wasn’t counting on just how perceptive his older brother could be.

Zagato was a very observant and patient man. He noticed from day one the changes in his brother’s behaviour, how he at first seemed pensive but then he started to spend a lot of time outside the house; how every time he came back, it was with a small but genuine smile.

Zagato was also a very curious man, so in the end his curiosity won over his patience. He waited for the right occasion to talk to his brother, and with the excuse of his impending wedding anniversary, he asked his brother to come look for a gift with him.

He dragged Lantis to a small restaurant at Minato-ku, where he at first made small talk but eventually started to fire questions until Lantis did not have other option but to answer them. He told him about their first encounter, and about their first real meeting, how they started seeing each other and how he was building the nerve to ask her out properly soon.

“You are in love with her” It was not a question, but a statement. A statement that left Lantis speechless until it was time for them to leave.

Just before they left the restaurant, Zagato, seemingly out of the blue said “Emeraude is presenting one of her Chrysanthemums at the Shinjuku Gyoen exhibit. Bring your girl; I’d be delighted to meet her”

 

* * *

 

The Chrysanthemum exhibit was great. To be completely honest, Hikaru was not aware that there were so many types of the same flower, or how many colours you could find in each variation.

Lantis’ family was lovely. At the beginning of the day, she was a bit worried of what they may think of her, or if they would even like her at all.

The moment she glimpsed Lantis’ older brother Zagato, she also felt a little intimidated. Once she talked to him however, she found that the scary veneer was just a façade. Underneath all that seriousness and stoicism, there was a really caring and thoughtful person. 

Emeraude, Zagato’s wife was really welcoming, always looking for ways to include Hikaru into their conversations and jokes. Her brother Ferio was a consummated jokester, and Hikaru more than once found herself the target of his jokes… much to Lantis Annoyance.

The surprise of the day came in the form of Hikaru’s older brother among the visitors… and who was being accompanied by Fuu’s older sister Kuu. With a silent laugh, Hikaru remembered just how flustered Kuu was, and how much the both of them were insisting that there was nothing between them that wasn’t a good friendship.

“Yeah, sure dear brother… whatever you say”

Since Satoru was already there, Hikaru decided to introduce him to Lantis and his family. Satoru and Lantis assessed each other with a quick glance before nodding in what could only be described as approval. Satoru even extended a hand to him, inviting Lantis over for tea back at the dojo some time in the near future.

Speaking about brothers… Hikaru was a bit troubled by Zagato’s parting words to her. They weren’t said with a special tone of voice or anything, but there was something in them that made her feel confused.

“I welcome you; it was really nice to meet you”

 

* * *

 

The year went on like a blur, and before any of them noticed it, Christmas and New Year’s Eve had already come and gone. Hikaru and Lantis’ relationship got stronger with every passing day, making their friends wonder when they would take that final step to start dating officially. There were days when they wondered if they were already dating but were keeping that info under wraps.

Sometimes they frustrated their friends with their apparent obliviousness; it seemed that everybody could see the way they looked at each other or they way their voices got a tender, affectionate timbre whenever they were talking to or about each other.

It was so obvious that even Primera stopped bothering them at some point.

And then shift in their routines altered the apparent status quo, with the stress of the entrance exams for College for Hikaru and some important projects for several subjects in Lantis case. Their friends watched how their schedules got reduced o almost zero, exchanging a few texts over lunch or a short call in between classes. This continued until almost march, and even their friends weren’t sure if they could get them to somehow spend the cherry blossom holiday together that year.

 

* * *

 

And indeed Hanami arrived. Hikaru’s friends took upon themselves to this time organize their traditional picnic, though they decided that, instead of making it at Shinjuku Gyoen as always, they would go over to a park in Ueda.

Hikaru was not exactly feeling like going to said picnic, feeling somewhat drained and tired. She had also been feeling a little under the weather for sometime now, though it was not because of a physical ailment.

She was a bit sad, but was mostly worried about Lantis. She had not heard from him for some time now and he was not even answering her texts or her calls. Deep down she was starting to wonder if he finally got tired of her and was looking for a nice way to turn their friendship down.

She tried to tell herself that she was just overreacting, that maybe he caught a cold and was bedridden, completely isolated from the rest of the world, or that maybe something strange happened to his phone and he was too busy to get it repaired.

Hikaru decided that she needed to think and calm herself. And she knew that she would not be able to do that with all her friends around, so she decided to forgo their invitation to Ueda and go for a walk around Shinjuku.

She walked aimlessly for some time until she stopped under her favourite cherry tree. She sat there for a really long time, lost in her thoughts, breathing softly the cherry scented air that floated everywhere, giving of an aura of melancholy and clashing with everybody’s happy mood.

A small cherry blossom landed on her forehead, and with it, a long forgotten sentence came forth from the depths of her mind: _“I would love to meet you under the shadow of our Cherry Tree…”_

He was not sure where that phrase came from, however the moment it manifested itself in her mind, something made her lift her gaze just in time to see a tall, black haired, violet eyed young man approach her with a slow but steady pace.

The moment their eyes met, their minds made a last but final connection with a distant and somewhat unknown shared past life, and instead of uttering the names that they have both come to associate with each other, others, that sounded just as fitting as their current ones escaped their lips, giving them a strange sense of relief and longing.

“Haruki…”

“Reizo…”

A small smile crossed their features moments before they finally kissed. It was a kiss that tasted like coming home after a long journey. It was a kiss that symbolized that the wait that started over 500 years ago was finally over, reuniting the old lovers to never be separated again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am deeply ashamed that it took me a freaking year to post this… (thought I must say that the original 3000 words of the Spanish version somehow morphed to over 5000 in the English one…)  
> Anyway, I hope this final chapter is worth the wait. I would love to read your opinion on the matter on a comment.  
> References:  
> \+ All places listed here, and all the historical events mentioned during this series are real.


End file.
